Dry Bones

DRY BONES

         There's an interesting story in the Old Testament where God is giving a message to His prophet Ezekiel and He uses a valley of dry bones to illustrate His truth.  The photo above is a collection of real skulls from various kinds of people, some of whom lived centuries ago.  They are dry bones in a museum in Rostock, Germany.
          The skeleton below looks like a set of dry bones from a once-living person, but instead it's a manufactured skeleton that's in the Children's Museum in Portsmouth, Virginia.  Still, it gives us a good picture of what a real set of dry bones looks like.

          In the book of Ezekiel 37, the prophet has a vision where God places him in a valley filled with dry bones.  Then God asks the prophet a strange question: "Son of man, can these dry bones live?"
          Ezekiel wisely answered, "O Lord God, you know."
          How often do you and I look out at what appears to be a mess around us and we shake our heads, saying, "Not even God can fix this mess!"  Oh, we may not actually say the words, but deep inside that's what we're thinking.
          It would be much better to take the attitude of Ezekiel and realize that God can do anything and everything - beyond our wildest imaginations.
         Certainly, raising up a valley of dry bones and building them into a living breathing army of men is beyond imagination.  Yet, that's exactly what God did, right there -- in a matter of minutes.
         I bet it was exciting for Ezekiel to watch -- and possibly a bit scary!
       
         As with everything God does, He had a purpose for this amazing scene.  God was offering Ezekiel -- and all of us -- a visual picture of how He was going to raise up the nation of Israel and His people the Jews, from a dead nation into a living breathing, strong nation.  That He was going to bring them back into their land and that they would once again be His people.
          This prophecy about the rebirth of Israel was given over 2,600 years ago.  It came to pass on May 14, 1948 -- 72 years ago.  It's just one of many prophecies given to us about the rebirth of Israel and we've been watching them come to pass over the past seven decades.
           It's exciting to live in a time where ancient prophecy is being fulfilled and we are watching events unfold in ways that our ancestors could never have imagined.

       

Puzzle Pieces

PUZZLES

       During this season of Stay-at-Home orders and attempts to combat an invisible viral enemy, many people have turned to jigsaw puzzles to pass the time.  Here's a picture of Larry proudly displaying a scene of dolphins and sea creatures that he completed. 
        After he broke the picture apart, I took a picture of the pieces laying on the table (below). 

         To me, that scattered mass of unrecognizable puzzle pieces is more interesting than the picture it had been.  The pieces remind me of some of life's unanswered questions, as well as representing things we search for in our lives, working to put them together to make a pleasing picture.  You can find a lot of deeper meaning in that jumble of puzzle pieces.

          Just this morning, I completed the final lesson in The Quest, a Bible study by Beth Moore. Near the end, I came upon a paragraph she'd written that is so applicable to this picture and the thought of jigsaw puzzles.  Beth wrote:

      "Those of us with quest in our blood will hunt the Word and world for thousands of scattered puzzle pieces.  We'll shout praise to God for every discovery and exult over each handful of pieces that fit together."

        I agree with Beth.  Each time I discover something new to me in God's Word or in this world He created, I get excited and grin from ear to ear.  It's a joyous feeling.  There's nothing quite like it and I love it!

        Still, as I've discovered in life events, there are some puzzle pieces that will never fit on this side of eternity.  We try to fit them together, but it seems there's always something missing.  That's what happened in my life when a senseless tragic event tore into our family.  I tried to put the puzzle pieces together, but they just didn't mesh.  It was frustrating and hard to deal with.

        After a year of futilely trying to make the pieces fit, I handed it over to God.  I gave up trying to make them fit and to understand.  It was a process, but once I accepted that I would never understand and the pieces would never fit, I found liberating peace.  I let it go and God's grace has filled the void.  

         I love the verse in Proverbs:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path" 3:5-6. 

         If you've been struggling to find answers to some unanswerable, sorrowful event in your life, bring your questions to the feet of Jesus and leave them there.  If He wants you to know an answer, He'll give it to you.  But, in many cases, there will be no answers.  Freedom can only be found in letting go, accepting what is, and trusting the One Who is in control.

      Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 13, that there will always be things on this earth that we cannot make sense of, but someday in heaven, all our questions will be answered and the puzzle pieces will fit together in a beautiful picture of God's grace and His will for our lives.  "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" verse 12.

Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower

We're going to visit this handsome Gothic church in Dorset, England and see beautiful stained glass windows that illustrate the Parable of the Sower, found in three of the gospels, Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.  St. Edward, King and Martyr Church, the parish Church of Corfe Castle, was originally built in the 13th century.  This massive tower is all that remains of the original church, the remainder was built in 1859.  The stained glass windows inside are unique and special.

We'll start with a panorama look at the three lovely windows which make up the whole of the Parable of the Sower before we see a close-up of each panel that illustrates the story.  I've chosen Luke's version in chapter 8 for this post.  Jesus shared this story/parable with a great multitude of people who had gathered to listen to Him:

"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.

Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.

But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.  Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Jesus then explained the parable to His listeners, saying that the seed is the word of God that is sown into the hearts of men and women.  In the Wayside picture, the devil comes and takes away the word from a person's heart, lest they should believe and be saved.

The Rock picture represents people receiving the word with joy, but without root.  They believe for a little while, but soon fall away because of temptation.

Seed that falls among thorns show us people who hear the truth, but they are choked with cares, riches and pleasures of life.  They bring no fruit to maturity.

Jesus said, "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

The Sower is illustrated here by Jesus Christ who sowed the Word of God to many during His lifetime here on earth, and still offers the wonderful Word to any who have ears to hear.

We obviously want to be "good ground" and bear much fruit for our Master.  Galatians 5:22 gives us a glimpse of some of that good fruit we want to produce, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

Now, that's a fruit bowl I'm sure we would all love to have sitting on the table of our lives!